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The "compassionate, centre-ground" position outlined in Ukip's general election manifesto is where the party needs to go, its deputy chairman has said. Suzanne Evans dismissed the row over Nigel Farage's leadership, insisting the problems related to advisers who had kept him in their pocket.

Evans: Ukip should be 'compassionate centre-ground'. Credit: PA

She said they had been trying to take the party back to what it was several years ago, but stressed its future lay in diversifying and becoming more inclusive.

Ms Evans told the Andrew Marr Show: "I don't think anyone hates anyone.
"I think we have had some problems with advisers around Nigel, who very much kept him in their pocket if you like and I think he has had too much influence from them."

Douglas Carswell, Ukip's only MP, has suggested that Nigel Farage "take a break" from the party leadership and said his pre-election comments about HIV patients had been "ill-advised".

Writing for the Times (£), Carswell said: "Elections are enormously stressful. The immediate aftermath of one is not the time to take big decisions about the future. It takes a team to get the answers right."

He also appeared to echo concerns raised by economic spokesman Patrick O'Flynn, who claimed that Farage had come across at times as "snarling, thin-skinned" and "aggressive".

At times, Ukip has failed to strike the right tone. By all means we should highlight the problem of health tourism. But we need to admit that using the example of HIV patients to make the point was ill-advised.

Ukip has been at its most persuasive when we have been most optimistic. Anger is never a great way to motivate people — at least not for very long.

Ukip's former chief of staff has hit out at the party's only MP and its campaign chief for dragging the party into "major national disrepute" in the row over Nigel Farage's leadership.

Raheem Kassam, who will leave the party at the end of the month, backed Mr Farage and accused Douglas Carswell MP and party economic spokesman Patrick O'Flynn of acting on "purely selfish terms".

Douglas Carswell and Patrick O'Flynn Credit: PA

Mr O'Flynn had said Mr Farage had turned the party into a "personality cult" with his decision to continue as leader despite resigning after failing to win a seat in the election, as the resignation was rejected by the National Executive Committee.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Kassam called for Mr Carswell and Mr O'Flynn to leave the party and said they had "gone after" him.

I feel a bit of responsibility in the sense that the characters who brought this up, namely Douglas Carswell and Patrick O'Flynn, are acting on purely selfish terms.

They saw me as Nigel's sort of body armour and that if they went after me that they would get to Nigel.

These people are not acting in the best interests of the party, what they are doing is bringing the party into major national disrepute and I don't think they have a place in the party.